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Always on society

People are increasingly able to access information and services 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. This is due to advances in global communications and technology which have increased access to the internet. The ever increasing functionality of mobile phones is also a contributing factor.

What are the implications?

• More public services available online and an expectation that services will be accessible at all times.
• Increase in online transactions.
• More empowered consumers leading to a personalisation of services.
• Increasing amounts of information available about the VCS
• Growth in online user feedback driving the perception of the sector. (See interactive websites)
• Increase in plannedindividual giving online and overall as donors are able to find out about new causes quicker and easier.
• Instant news and information society.
• Increase in personal mobility and flexibility as services can be accessed ‘on the go’.
• More widespread use of mobile technology to access the internet ‘on the go’.
• Those who are digitally excluded may become even more marginalised.

Moving forward

As the public expect access to information and services all the time and more and more organisations in the public, private and voluntary sectors communicate online, it is important your organisation is not left behind.

• Does your organisation have an ICT strategy in place?
• Can you invest in ICT training for those members of your staff that do not have a high level of ICT literacy?
• Can your organisation start to deliver more services online to compete with other organisations operating in the same area?

An ‘Always on’ society are a captive audience for VCOs, how can your organisation harness the collaborative power of online communities to address your strategic or operational problems?

Online services risk excluding some groups, and it is therefore important that the sector continues to support and combat any possible marginalisation that may occur.

• Does your organisation have a policy or strategy in place to ensure it accounts for any possible exclusion that online services might bring?

Want to know more?

East of England Scanning Report #2: The 24/7 society: Implications for the East of England

Published by: University of Essex

Date: 2006

Format: PDF

What is it?

A paper examining the implications of living in an increasingly 24/7 society.

How useful is this?

This is not focused solely on technology, but it is a useful paper for considering what the impacts of an always on society might be.  The report collates findings from several pieces of research to examine: what the 24/7 society is; its benefits and drawbacks; and contributory factors.  It also includes more focused sections on shopping and working in a 24/7 society.  Although an East of England report, only the concluding section focuses on the region, and the rest of the report is broadly reported in terms of the general UK population.

Other comments:

UK slogs around the clock

Published by: The Guardian

Date: 2004

Format: Web

What is it?

An article discussing findings from a report on the rise of the 24 hour society by the

Future Foundation thinktank.

How useful is this?

This article reviews an interesting report that considers the always on society as part of wider societal changes towards the 24 hour society.  It acknowledges the role that technology and globalisation have, by driving longer working hours, but sees the rise in disposable income leading to a growth in the leisure industry as the main driver of the 24 hour society.  It makes statistical predictions on how individuals will spend their time in 2020 and on what activities will be carried out over night.  It also considers both the positive and negative impacts of 24 hour living.

Other comments:

The Future Foundation’s full report is: The Shape of Things to Come, funded by the Royal Bank of Scotland.

Chained to the inbox – is email running your life?

Published by: Mesmo Consultancy: a specialist consultancy on effective email and IT use

Date: 2007

Format: Web and PDF

What is it? A press release detailing the statistical findings of a survey on email behaviour amongst business users.

How useful is this?

This press release focuses on email use as one aspect of the ‘always on’ society.  It presents interesting findings on email use, such as checking emails when on leave or sick, and talks about the growing phenomenon of email addiction.  It looks at some of the causes, including office politics and high expectations of email response times.  And finally considers the impact on efficiency and productivity.

Other comments: